* Problem sets will contain bonus questions that can make up for missed points in the P-sets or quizzes or a missed problem set (as well as simply provide more challenging questions for students who enjoy them :) )

About this course

Cryptography is as old as human communication itself, but has
undergone a revolution in the last few decades. It is now about
much more than "secret writing" and includes seemingly paradoxical
notions such as communicating securely without a shared secret, and
computing on encrypted data. In this challenging but rewarding
course we will start from the basics of private and public key
cryptography and go all the way up to advanced notions such as
fully homomorphic encryption and indistinguishability obfuscation. This is a
proof-based course that will be best appreciated by mathematically
mature students.

For some of the mathematical background, see the notes for the "Lecture 0" on mathematical background. The exercises there will be part of the first problem set, so you can save yourself time by starting on them now.

Should I take this course? If you are interested in both the foundations of cryptography as well as some of its exciting recent applications, and are comfortable with mathematical proofs and abstract reasoning, this course might be for you. If you are a Harvard student wondering if you should take this course, send me an email and I'll be happy to set up a time to meet and talk about it in person.

During shopping week (Jan 24-30) I will have the following extended office hours if you want to talk to me: Monday (1/25) 2-3pm, Tuesday (1/26) 1pm-2:30pm, Thursday (1/28) 2pm-3pm, Friday (1/29) 2pm-3pm.